How Far We've Come
by WitchJuliana
Summary: It's been a long journey, with all sorts of twists and turns. But they've all grown so much, and they've got their existence to prove it. It was only a matter of time before it all came to an end.
Her name is JANE CROCKER, and today is her birthday.

Looking back now, she realizes a lot things she didn't know when she was younger. For instance, she now knows that the Crocker Company is owned by a malicious space tyrant who controlled her mind and made her attack her friends. Was, she corrects herself, because her best friend forever and ever killed the evil troll right after the queen strangled her to death. She's grown up, she realizes, as she takes in the sight of her Poppop, younger now, enjoying his new life on this new planet they won together. When her life seemed to only revolve around relationship problems, when all the odds seemed to be stacked against her. She only thought about herself at that time. Selfish, she thinks. But she's grown past that, she knows what it's like to sacrifice herself for the greater good, to help win the fight. As a Maid, she was never meant to be the leader, like Dirk said, but she realizes now that that's okay. Maybe she wasn't meant to be a leader. That's alright. She's firmly content with aiding the others, as that's something she IS good at. Later on, she'll bake a cake with everyone, even though today is her birthday. But the best thing about cakes is that they're not meant for one person, but rather for everyone. Maybe that's why she loves baking them so much.

Jane Crocker stands arm and arm with her father, and she for once fully enjoys the LIFE that she has.

His name is JAKE ENGLISH, and today he knows what it's like to be truly brave.

The battle is long gone now, or maybe it's short gone. Hell if he knows. The passage of time is strange in this newly won game, and he has no idea how much time has passed since the battle and now, but all he knows is that today is a new day, and he's going to enjoy it to the fullest. He's happy, something that he hasn't felt in a long time. Back when he was filled with false bravado, when his self-esteem was at its lowest, when he wasn't sure whether or not he was worth something. He knows better now. He IS worth something. He IS strong. And his name IS worth remembering, because by Jove, he took down the Felt all by HIMSELF. Well, mostly. He did receive some help here and there. But in the end, it was him standing on top of that pile of unconscious bodies, all by himself. He has potential. He knows he does, and he doesn't need anyone to tell him that anymore. Now, he's more confident and filled with real bravado because he knows he's got what it takes to help his friends, even if there isn't much he can do for now. That's okay, he's got time. Besides, the game is over, and he can finally play FUN games with his friends, both human and troll.

Jake English kicks around a soccer ball with his best friend, and he's filled with HOPE for the days to come.

His name is DIRK STRIDER, and he's just starting to get a handle on this soccer game thing.

Once upon a time, he believed that he had to plan out everything, know everything, do everything in order to make sure that everything turned out with the optimal results. He thought that everything had to be done his way, consequences be damned as long as he and his friends won in the end. He realizes now, that he wasn't the best friend a best friend could ask for. Or even as a friend in general. He was more calculating than friendly, controlling than caring. It took him a long time to overcome those traits, but he thinks he's doing better now. Albeit, it's still a work in progress, but he's opening up a lot better thanks to that little chat with his bro, and he's made up with Jake. Why else would they be playing soccer? They needed some quality time that wasn't stressful or emotionally draining. In the end though, he knows that it's okay to bend and let others take control. There's no need to be in charge all the time. It's okay to take a break. Maybe later he can share some sick beats with Dave, kick back with Roxy, and eat some cake with Jane. He never did properly celebrate her birthday that one time after all. He still needs to make up for that.

Dirk Strider slips and falls onto the ground, and he laughs with all his HEART instead of feeling embarrassed.

Her name is ROXY LALONDE, and she never dreamed she'd be with everyone she loved in one spot.

Well, okay, TECHNICALLY she did dream it. Like, a lot. But like, she never imagined that it'd become a reality. She never imagined she would stop drinking either, but look how far she's come! She overcame her problem and helped to build a beautiful new planet with her amazing friends who are all alive and happy. They're all ALIVE, and they're HAPPY. She's even made some new friends and met her mom, and it's all turning out to be a dream come true, a dream that's a reality and she's so happy to be alive right now. After all the drama, the problems, the hardships, the deaths (especially the deaths), they made it. And she's never been so proud of her friends than she is right now. It takes a deep breath, maybe two or three to keep herself from crying. She's not going to ruin this moment with tears - that can be for later. No, she wants her vision to be clear and focused as she takes in the sights, the smells, the color, and maybe she can finally show Rose her fanfiction she made of her books. Er, later, definitely. She's not sure she actually wants to show her just yet.

Roxy Lalonde walks with her two good friends as they explore this new planet, and for once, she doesn't feel an empty VOID in her life.

Her name is CALLIOPE, and she's going to do everything in her power to stay with her friends ( _to save Paradox Space)_ and be happy ( _fulfill her promise_ ).

Things are looking up for once! At first, she was worried about her ghoulish looks and how her friends would be shocked and disgusted with her, but now she knows that they would never think of her as such. Looks aren't what makes a person, and while she may never be fully satisfied with how she looks, she knows for sure now that her friends will accept her no matter what. Especially Roxy, her dear beloved friend. She had been dead for such a long time and had felt lonelier than before, but now she's alive surrounded by friends, old and new, and she can't be any happier. Her death was worth it, and she hopes that it helped lead to something even greater than she is. Maybe, it even helped them win this bright ending for everyone.

( _It's a simple wave, a few strokes in the air, and colorful orbs of cyan, magenta, and yellow form before her. Her wand becomes a conductor's baton, and as she focuses her power into destroying the Green Sun, her mind wanders. She never had friends, but after meeting Jade and her other self, she thinks she understands why her other self became weaker than her brother. These "friends" are something that her other self holds dearly to her heart, and while it has softened her up immensely, she's grown to be cheerful. Happy. Content. Had she been any weaker, she would have envied her other self for having something to live for. For being "alive". But there's no time for such feelings. She can't afford to get distracted from her task at hand. She'll finish the job for herself, and for her friends. After all, she overpowered her brother before, why not do it again?)_

Calliope giggles happily as her new friend cracks a joke, and the SPACE in her chest is filled to the brim with love.

( _Calliope allows herself to be sucked into her own black creation and hopes that her other self will have the SPACE to continue to grow._ )

His name is TAVROS NITRAM, and he's confident that they'll beat Lord English once and for all.

Rufio, Pupa Pan - he knows that they're all just fantasies and daydreams that he's had since he was a little wiggler. But despite it all, he can't help but thank his two inspirations for helping him through the sweeps. He's not sure if he's "grown out" of either of them, but they remain fond to him as he stares ahead at the green ogre before them. Pupa Pan helped him find hope for a brighter future. Rufio helped him find the confidence that he so desperately needed. They didn't give him these things - he had to find them for himself. And now, now he feels strong and confident, like he can walk on his own two damn legs without anyone to sneer at him for it. He can stand up for himself now, and he's got so much self-confidence Rufio would be so proud of him. As he marches alongside Vriska and Meenah, he no longer feels like some lowly lowblood that they can push around. He's a troll who rounded up an entire army and his blood color played no part in that. He's not at the bottom anymore - he's at the top with the rest of them, and damn does it feel good to be respected as a troll.

Tavros Nitram grins widely as they all face off against their enemy, and he sucks in what could be his last BREATH of air.

Her name is MEENAH PEIXES, and she's aiming to crack that green skull in two.

She's had her session scratched, pretty much krilled her whole team, and had a gillfriend who ended up going soft and boring. All that drama, and not a single boonbuck to her name. Although, after all this fighting, she's pretty unsure as to what riches can get her then. Does she even want to be rich still? Probably, but her greed can take a backseat while she has this final face-off with the green bass-tard. Hell yeah, final fight and she's STILL kicking it with the fish puns. Shit never gets old. She twirls the trident and almost knocks Tavros in the head with it, but she quickly pulls back before he notices. There'd be no good in riling him up, especially since the army is technically following him. Not that she cares. She's just happy there's an army to begin with. They all follow Vriska (Fishka? She probably wouldn't mind that much) towards Lord English, and she grips her trident tightly, staring through her glasses as they near him. There's no telling what could happen next. Would she double die? Would they ALL double die? Well, if there's one thing that she's sure of, there's no way any of them are ever coming back to life. It's that thought that assures her that there's nothing else for them to lose, to go all out and be as reckless as all hell. She never needed to prove her worth, but now it's time to prove who's the real fucking deal. No way this green overly puffed up skull is better than she is.

Meenah Peixes prepares herself, trident poised to take the LIFE of the Angel of Double Death.

Her name is VRISKA SERKET, and she's prepared to do the most badass thing anyone has ever done.

A time long ago, she would have bragged about having all the irons in the fire. All of them. Now, she doesn't HAVE to brag about her amazing prowess at planning, because she's got the magic juju in her possession and she's going to beat the HELL out of this English douchebag. She's read and studied and learned about this juju, but what it is exactly always escapes her. Whatever, as long as she's the hero then everything should be a-okay. If everything went according to plan, then the Condesce, the Jacks, the flying dogs, and the Felt have all been properly dealt with (again, thanks to her expert planning and strategizing). Now all she has to do is release this juju and let it do all the work. The treasure chest opens by her hand, and the juju is released. She doesn't pay attention to flashing symbols behind her, doesn't realize the familiarity the juju exudes. All she cares about is nabbing all the luck, all of it for herself so that Lord English has less of a chance of fleeing the battle alive. She's going to win this for herself, for everyone. And she's going to come back a winner, come back to her dear moirail and prove to everyone that she's still good on the inside. Wouldn't defeating Lord English prove that?

Vriska Serket stands in front of the juju, and it shrouds her in the bright, white LIGHT as she grins triumphantly.

Her name is ARADIA MEGIDO, and she's been waiting for this moment ever since she became protector of the Dream Bubbles.

Being alive and among the dead is a refreshing change from being dead and among the living, as she recalls all those sweeps ago (or at least it feels like many sweeps). She stares up at the gaping black hole, created none other than the aloof alternate Calliope, one she never got to see but always heard about through the whispers of the Dream Bubbles. Well, the Dream Bubbles are starting to crumble away now, thanks to the alternate Calliope. As it should, she concludes as the dead denizens of the game are allowed to rest in peace in a less violent way. The choice is up to her if she wants to return back to those who are still alive, up where the game has been won presumably, and their prize waits before them. She remembers Sollux jabbering about something beforehand and figures that she can afford to delay her return a little longer, if only to witness the magnificent destruction that she continues to watch. Speaking of Sollux, she remembers that she left him somewhere to hopefully not be fully dead, though she's not sure how he's going to join up with the rest of the group. That can be something they figure out later. Now, she enjoys the light show as she easily keeps from getting sucked into the black hole.

Aradia Megido carefully flies before the black hole, knowing it'll only be a matter of TIME before everything comes to an end.

His name is SOLLUX CAPTOR, and he has no idea where the FUCK he is.

What he knows for sure is that he is half-dead, and everything looks incredibly flat. As in, 2D-flat. He's not sure how that's possible, but he chalks it up to him being half-dead and his stupid duality gimmick. Stupid gimmicks aside, he looks around his surroundings, and the only thing he can determine for sure is that there are cracks among cracks among cracks in the great black expanse of the dream bubbles, and he's got a feeling that it's all going to end soon. Half of him thinks it's going to end badly, the other half thinks it's going to end well. It's hard to tell, but he also thinks that both things are going to happen. Somehow. They all literally inhabit a space of the universe aptly named "Paradox Space" so a thing like this is certainly NOT out of the ordinary. But as he watches the cracks continue to converge onto each other, the familiar sense of dread that seems to fall in line with his aspect only seems to dominate his being. Something is definitely about to go down, and whether it's first going to be good or bad is hard to tell. Knowing how this part of the universe seems to work, he can only assume that the worst of the worst is going to happen. And he's not even sure what the worst of the worst is.

Sollux Captor's eyes trace the fine cracks above him, and the DOOM he feels lurking on the edges of his being only grows stronger and stronger.

Her name is TEREZI PYROPE, and something seems off.

Everything should have played out perfectly. Nobody is permanently dead, Makara isn't plaguing the group with his presence, and they're all standing in front of a red door, the key to their prize and new universe. She realizes that she thinks with the words "should have", like something went wrong along the way. But she can't place her finger on it, and it bothers her beyond compare. She's supposed to be a Seer for God's sake! This should be easy to figure out! And yet, as she listens to the casual talking and happy remarks made by the others, she can't help but feel… unsatisfied. Incomplete. Like she's missing something. A fact, a note, a message, a SOMETHING. She wants to use her powers to try and grasp just what it is that she's missing, but she's only bringing up ONE future, and it just feels so wrong. It can't be that, there's got to be another path. Every coin flip has a fifty-fifty chance of landing on one side, but unless the coin is weighted or the chances are fixed, there's ALWAYS an alternative to what can happen next. Is she not in control of her powers as much as she thought she was? Was the battle a fluke? Did she overdo it with her mass remembering? Why can't she be in control like she used to be? What's wrong with her?

Terezi Pyrope stands off to the side, listening to the cheers of her friends and teammates as doubt and uncertainty fill her MIND.

His name is GAMZEE MAKARA, and he really just wants out by now.

He's made mistakes, killed some friends, some trolls. He gets that there are some things that he's done that are unforgivable, but stuffing and locking him in a fridge is just not motherfucking cool. There's just no way he can all up and do his clown shenanigans if he's stuck in here, but no one is going to let him out after all he's done, after all he could have done. Didn't Vriska do bad shit too? She killed his Tavbro, and killed a whole lot of lowbloods back on Alternia with Terezi - so why is HE the only one who's being ostracized and stranded in a fridge? Where even IS his fridge? He lets out feeble honks and continues to cry, because he knows no one, not even Karkat will let him out. Whatever was happening outside sounded like a whole lot of fighting, and judging by how badly he was getting banged around in the fridge earlier, his fridge had accidentally joined the fray too. Or maybe it wasn't an accident. Lots of people hate him now, so he's almost certain that it wasn't an accident that they threw his fridge around like a ragdoll. He'll give them the benefit of the doubt though and assume that it was an accident. Man, he just wanted to be friends with everyone when they first started playing the game. How did it all go south so quickly? Everyone was calling him names, being all mean to him, beating him around after he killed Nepeta and Equius… Hell, he's not even sure if he was one hundred percent THERE when he killed them. Is he even one hundred percent here right now? How's he supposed to act? The happy, optimistic high-as-fuck idiot, or the crazy, dangerous highblood? Nobody wants either, and it makes him… mad. Upset. Why can't they just settle for one already?

Gamzee Makara hears someone cackle as his fridge is opened, and he feels like his RAGE is the only thing that makes sense in this fucked up world.

Her name is KANAYA MARYAM, and she holds what could be the future of their race.

Roxy made the Matriorb. THE Matriorb. The MATRIORB. And she GAVE IT to her. It's been safely captchalogued into her sylladex, and as she stands with Rose, Karkat, and Dave, waiting for their new world, their big prize, and she dreams of the future of her own race. Not only will she fulfill her longstanding promise to her lusus, but she'll get to see the birth of her dwindling race WITHOUT the influence of the Condesce. Trollkind can live in peace with humankind, as well as maybe a few other races, if they still exist out there. Given the fact that Jade was holding up a smaller version of what looked like Skaia, there were probably some of those silly Capracians still wandering about too. And the Mayor! Nobody can forget the dear, sweet little Mayor. Where is he now, she wonders? Ah, well, she can worry about that later. Now, she wonders how she will get this matriorb to hatch, as well as… well. Other things. Preferably with Rose. She may have had a Virgin Mother Grub for a lusus, but she's not planning on abstaining. Chasity Modus be screwed (haha, she should tell that one to Rose). And chances are, neither is this new Mother Grub. She will raise it and care for it until it is ready to produce thousands upon thousands of eggs so that she, Terezi, and Karkat (Gamzee? Who's Gamzee? Fuck Gamzee) will no longer remain the last living trolls in existence. Oh, and she can't forget Aradia, though she has no idea where she is. And maybe, Sollux too? Though, she's still unsure of his state of being. Well, for now, she wants to celebrate their victory with her friends first.

Kanaya Maryam gives her lover a peck on the cheek and happily hopes that their new universe will have enough SPACE to hold both their races.

His name is KARKAT VANTAS, and he hopes that this time, they all can win the game properly this time.

It's so weird not wanting be the leader or wanting to be in charge anymore. He guesses it's because he doesn't really have anything to prove anymore. Or rather, he has nothing left to prove. At least he doesn't have to worry about his blood color possibly getting him killed. Having most of trollkind and the more bigoted trolls dead helps his cause he supposes. That, or chilling out with Dave helped to mellow him down. It's probably a mix of both. Definitely a mix of both. Kanaya's ruffling his hair while Dave is kind of just attached to his side, and he feels at peace. Even though he technically did nothing during the whole shebang, he only feels just a tad bit upset at being useless. Dave is alright, Kanaya is alright, Terezi seems… unharmed to a degree. Actually, looking at her now, she seems uneasy about something. He makes a mental note to check up on her later, even though he's not her moirail. Maybe she's worried about Vriska not showing up? He'll reassure her that Vriska's alright later, once he escapes from Strider's grip (not that he minds of course). John calls everyone over to the red glowing SGRUB- SBURB? The fucking prize house that landed out of fuckall nowhere and seems to wait for everyone to approach before bouncing up and down like an overactive wiggler that had way too much of that caffeine saturated drink (coffee, he thinks is what they call it). He passes Terezi on the way over to John and pulls her along gently, quietly asking her what's up. She instead smirks and says that it's nothing he has to worry about and pulls her arm from his grip, marching confidently in front of him. There's a beat of hesitation in her step that he notices, but John calls for him over by the glowing hive-shaped symbol. The two of them stand by their prize, and John offers him a thumbs up, to which he just shrugs and lets John lead the way.

Karkat Vantas watches as the leader of the humans steps forward to open the door, only to feel his BLOOD run cold when the humans are zapped away by the prize.

 _They're gone._

His name is CALIBORN, and he's about to become the strongest being in all of Paradox Space.

After beating up that son of a bitch of a boss, he's attained the greatest power of them all: MORE POWER. Yes, nothing can defeat power than the most supreme of power itself. He's going to be so fucking ripped. Now then, what to do next? Rule the world? No, the galaxy! Destruction shall be wrought everywhere he steps! He cackles loudly and the clown behind him honks in his irritable manner, but he ignores him and instead carries the treasure box under his arm as the Ring of Void is gripped tightly in one hand. Yes, he's got the juju now, which can only mean one more thing (according to his visions and claymation masterpiece)...

A loud zapping noise resounds in the room, and he turns to see the humans bumbling around in confusion. The drunk floozy speaks up first, sounding shocked as she turns to the human who had the upperhand before.

"John! I thought you had your powers under control!"

"I did! I didn't do this on purpose, something went wrong!"

"No, everything. Went right!" They all turn to face him, and the shocked looks just intensify.

That's right. It's him, Caliborn. They can't escape what's already here.

They all get into a fighting stance, and that dog girl growls at him with her fangs bared. He remembers that he can't fight all eight of them at once, they'll just have an unfair advantage, so he opens his treasure box and takes out his juju.

There are screams as he seals the four humans he doesn't really know into the juju, and he thinks that Dirk (his Dirk, the most perfect specimen) yells for his "bro" futilely. He locks the juju back into the treasure box and hides it away with the Ring. So far so good. The rest of the humans charge at him, but only he knows how this is going to turn out.

After all, he's going to be the strongest being in all of Paradox Space.

So he fights. He goes along with the script, getting properly wrecked by Jake, getting ambushed by the sweaty horse-troll-sprite-thing, having the irritating troll get sliced in half, etcetera etcetera. Dirk seals him away in Lil Cal, and he fuses with the rest of the entities in the hollow doll. It's quite a mess, which is something he didn't envision. The sprite screams at him and tries to fight back, but Caliborn merely draws him in closer, and soon he has the strength of the former troll and the intellect of Dirk in his possession. The clown troll fuses with him somewhat willingly, although, he's technically dead. It's the essence of faygo and wrath that wafts around him that helps complete the mix mash of power that only grows stronger inside him. He cackles inside the doll and waits for his power to mature to its strongest potential.

Caliborn resides quietly in Lil Cal, knowing he's got all the TIME in Paradox Space to release his full potential.

 _They don't know where they are, but all that Roxy knows is that she doesn't know how to get back. Jake and Jane are trying to keep themselves together, but she knows it's only a matter of time before someone breaks down. She looks at Dirk, and the defeated slouch of his shoulders is enough to tell. They just lost their family, their friends… And she just got her mom back._

 _She tries to steal the Void from their existence, to pull that damned treasure box out of wherever the fuck that little cherub hid it. But all she's coming up with are green cubes, because for the life of her she CAN'T remember what it looks like. She buries her face in her hands and tries not to cry. She can't, not when her friends need her. ...What would John do?_

 _Jake wants to do something, honest to god he wishes he could do something. But he's all out of juice and is just plum tired. He hugs Jane and comforts her, because what else can he do? He's all out of hope, and now they're stuck in some unidentifiable place in some unknown area, and he doesn't know what to do. His grandma had all the cool powers, but now she's gone._

 _Can't he do anything? What if he pulled up more hope somehow? Would any of his powers work? He's a Page goddammit, if there's any moment where he can show his potential, now is the damn time! He tries, he tries and tries and tries and TRIES to summon up all that power like he did before but… All that hope is gone. Poof. He's absolutely hopeless._

 _She's healing Jake, but she's only doing it because she needs something to do. They won, they FINALLY won but some weird crap pulled them to this terrible place where her Poppop and his friends got stolen away, and now they have no way of returning back to the trolls. Oh god, what about her dad? Jane hugs Jake and she can feel him trembling in her grasp._

 _It's takes a while, but she relaxes her grip enough to peek over Jake's shoulder (he's buried his face against her, and she thinks he's finally letting himself cry) and she sees Roxy in absolute distress, and her best friend is obviously so close to crying but she's not letting herself go, and the green cubes keep appearing. She turns to Dirk and he's… He's looking determined._

 _He just met his bro and had that great heart-to-heart but now? Now he's gone and he just can't believe it. But he refuses to stand down, to just accept what happened. He's… They're not DEAD, he knows that. Just disappeared. Thanks to that asshole. He grits his teeth and pulls up Pesterchum. Maybe… Maybe if he just messages her…_

 _The message sends, and he prays to whatever gods or monsters out there that she has some form of communication on her because god, they could all use a lot of help right now. He walks over to Lil Cal and stabs the damned doll, keeping it speared on the broken half of his katana. No way in hell is he letting this monstrosity out of his sight._

 _She figures it out. She finally figures it out. Of course there was only one way for this to go - this whole mess was a circular path, all leading to the same outcome if they succeeded. She should have stopped them. Terezi buries her hands into her hair and screams in anguish. Luckily, or unluckily, she's not the only one freaking the fuck out._

 _Karkat's cursing and screaming into his krab-municator, trying to get a hold of Strider. Kanaya managed to decaptchalogue her grubtop and is trying to get in touch with Rose. None of it is working, and she searches through the possibilities using her powers when she comes across a Calliope with a message, and she knows what she has to do._

 _Calliope watches everyone panicking and yelling, and she can't help but feel utterly useless. What can she do? She's not godtier, nor does she had a firm handle on her powers. She searches around for anything that can help when a troll - Terezi was it? - grabs her wrist and tugs her over to Jane's father with a sort of knowing determination that startles her._

" _Give us your communication device." She snaps at him with a rushed tone, and the man, having witnessed his daughter and father disappear, wordlessly hands it to the blind troll. Terezi takes it and forces it into Calliope's hands. "Check your messages." Calliope isn't sure if she can log into the client provided by the phone (or if there's any connection), but she tries anyway and-_

 _It's Dirk. He messaged her._

" _It's Dirk!" She yells loudly enough that Karkat and Kanaya look over at her with shock as she frantically types back a message. It's silent as she continues to communicate with him, and she lets out a soft squeak. "Oh…"_

" _What? What is it?!" Karkat approaches her but Terezi prevents him from getting any closer by sticking her arm out._

" _The… the other kids…"_

" _What happened to them?!" Kanaya silently joins Karkat's side, hands gripping the fabric of her skirt tightly._

" _They've…" She focuses on the screen of the portable device and refuses to meet any of their eyes. "They've been sealed away by my brother ."_

Her name is JADE HARLEY, and she's been conscious in this white void for a long, long time.

She doesn't know how long she or her friends have been trapped in here. It feels like forever since she last saw them, and she dearly wishes to see them again. Her eyes threaten to close, but she runs around to keep herself awake. After that whole debacle of being asleep for who knows how long, she refuses to close her eyes for more than one second. Her friends are around here somewhere, but no matter how much she tries screaming their names, she can't get a response from them. But that's okay (no it's not), she'll figure out someway to get back to them. She just has to, she finally got to be with all her friends! She tries doing her spacey thing, but it fails to garner any reaction from the white void around her. She tries using the powers of the Green Sun, but even that fails her. There's nothing to shrink, to make bigger, to make faster, there's absolutely NOTHING. But she can't give up, she CAN'T. That's why she's still awake, because for once in her life, she's the only one who's probably still conscious at this point. And staying conscious is becoming a difficulty as she rubs her eyes defiantly. Just as she's about to try using her powers again, a bright flash alerts to the change in scenery, and then she sees it all. Vriska. Lord English. The subsequent blast of energy (if it can even be called that) that utterly decimates him after a good solid thirty minutes of blasting. This… juju she thinks it's called? It used some of her power, and it felt pretty draining as the attack continued. It didn't stop her from trying to aid in his destruction however, using her power to propel the blast faster in order to kill him faster. Once the attack ends, she only gets the briefest of glances of the floating ashes of Lord English before everything returns to white. She allows herself to collapse on the ground, completely spent from the attack. Moments pass as she wonders what happens next. Are they going to stay in here forever? The thought scares and frustrates her at the same time. However, before she can do anything about her feelings, she feels her essence being tugged and jerked around roughly. It isn't until she notices the tinges of pink surrounding her that she understands what's happening. It's a Heart fraymotif.

Jade Harley watches in excitement, the SPACE surrounding her warping as she and her friends are finally freed.

His name is DAVE STRIDER, and when he opens his eyes, he sees his bro using his powers on them.

He feels as though he's been asleep for a long time, and when he slumps forward, Karkat is there to catch him. As his memory starts kickstart itself, he recalls there being a weird oppressing feeling in his chest and before he realized what was happening, everything around him had turned white. After that, he passed out. Despite getting however amount of sleep he assumed he got, he's feeling horribly drained, like something stuck a straw into his being and sucked all the energy out of him. Yeah, Karkat is making a really comfortable crutch, so he continues to lean into him without much effort on his part. A hand clasps his shoulder, and he barely moves head enough to see Dirk's familiar frames in his field of vision. Karkat is blabbering about something and it sounds like he's fighting off some tears so he slides his arm down to Karkat's waist and pulls him in for a hug. Karkat does the rest of the work, hugging him tightly and nuzzling his face against the crook of his neck and ranting about how much of an idiot he was, how dare he get sealed away in a juju, he thought he had lost him forever, and Dave just slumps against his boyfriend (yeah that's right, BOYFRIEND not matesprit; according to Karkat, his love for him transcends the four troll quadrants, which in turn is exactly how he feels about him), closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth of his lover as Dirk ruffles his hair in his own form of affection. He thinks that if Karkat wasn't such a Dave-hog (not that he minds), Dirk would want a hug too. It's probably why he's hanging around them, probably waiting for a turn at the hugfest. It's just hugs all around. When he finally gets free of Karkat, he turns to Dirk and gets enveloped in his arms. It's nice and warm, but it's a different warmth from Karkat's warmth. He's got this protectiveness to his hug that he realizes he's been yearning for for a while. It's how he imagined a real brother's hug to be. So he hugs back with just as much gusto, and for once he feels like he's got what he's always secretly wanted.

Dave Strider quietly enjoys the love that surrounds him, knowing that he's got enough TIME to spend with them both.

Her name is ROSE LALONDE, and she wants to understand just what the fuck happened to them.

After being caught by Kanaya, the first thing she wanted to do was to understand what happened them. So as everyone sits down in a circle to let the four of them recover, Roxy and Dirk tell them about what happened after they were apparently sealed away by Caliborn, the fight that ensued and how Dirk sealed away the souls of Caliborn, Arquiusprite, and apparently half of Gamzee's body in Lil Cal. All eyes eye the doll with discomfort, and Rose could see Calliope reaching for her wand. Dirk continues saying that he got in contact with Calliope, told her what happened, and by the way of Mind and Space shenanigans, she and Terezi helped the four of them find their way back. Afterwards, they tried figuring out how to bring the juju back when Vriska arrived sometime after. Vriska cuts in, thumping her chest proudly and stating about how awesome she was in defeating Lord English. Once he was destroyed, the Dream Bubbles started collapsing and breaking down all around them. So after waving the ghosts goodbye so that they could all rest in pieces, she flew back back to the platform with the juju back in the treasure box. When Rose tried asking what happened to the ghosts, she was interrupted by Aradia, who flew in with the still half-dead Sollux and assured her that they were all very much dead, and were intending on staying that way now that they had played their part. Jade jumps in figuratively, as she's kind of sandwiched between Jake and Calliope, but she pitches in her part of the story, of being awake for ages but not know how long she actually was awake, and then about how Lord English was attacked and the draining of their powers, which explains why they're all tired Rose realizes. Then Dirk speaks up again, his lap covered by Dave's legs as he's sprawled out between Dirk and Karkat, saying how Vriska showed up with the juju, and how he used to his Heart powers to grab their souls and, well, they know the rest. Rose leans against Kanaya and just… doesn't do anything. She's learned what she could, done all she could, and now there's nothing left for her to do. Before, she probably would have felt antsy and tireless, but now she just wants to relax for a bit. No writing, no planning, no Seer shenanigans. Just rest. Well, maybe a little bit of writing, but that can happen later.

Rose Lalonde enjoys the company of her friends and ecto-family, her chest LIGHT now that their trials are officially over.

His name is JOHN EGBERT, and he's ready to give up the title of friendleader for good.

It's been three years since he first played SBURB, first entered the game, first met the trolls, first met the other kids, first done anything. The game has gone on for a long time, and he's learned a lot, grown a lot, and seen a lot. There were laughs, there were tears, and there were circles of stupidity that occurred here and there. He'll never forget the timeline that he originally came from, because their deaths were just as important as the lives of this existing timeline. Even though they're sort of different from his original batch of friends, they're all still his friends. He's extra happy that they're all (mostly) alive. But the game is over now, and now he can kick back and do a Nic Cage marathon with them, whether they want to or not, because he thinks it'll be a great bonding moment with everyone, even if a couple of them have visual impairments. Terezi can just eat all the popcorn and listen to everyone's groans a pain, she probably gets kicks out of that. What's important though, is that they won the game, after all these years of struggle and toil, they finally did it. Terezi helps pin Lil Call permanently into the platform with Dirk and Dave, leaving behind their swords to prevent Lil Cal from ever moving from his spot again. Roxy stabs her katana through the doll's head for extra measure, and Calliope shoots it a few times with her gun just in case. He gets Karkat to open the door, since he's less likely to do the zappy thing, and they all make it safely to their new universe. The carapacians and animals that had populated their planets come and live with them, thanks to Jade taking Skaia along with them, and for once, he doesn't need to do any leader-like things. Kanaya gets focused on bringing the troll race back to life, and the rest of them remove their godtier pajamas and put on regular clothes. He puts on his old t-shirt, the one with that was always his favorite, and slips on a pair of shorts. The clothes fit him comfortably, as though someone had tailored the clothes to his current size. Maybe Kanaya had a hand in this, or maybe Jade made the clothes just a bit bigger with her Space powers. He doesn't know, and frankly, it doesn't really matter. Everyone is happy here, and here's no need for him to be a leader anymore. Everyone can live their own lives now, and he can just be a good, old fashioned friend. Just like he always said he was.

John Egbert gently blows some WIND across the candles; after all, today is his birthday.

* * *

 **A/N: This was originally supposed to be posted on 4/13, but I uh, never finished on time. Oh well, here's my contribution to the end of Homestuck. It was nice taking this journey with y'all.**


End file.
